Prof Discovers Two Prehistoric Animals

July 8, 2014

Tapir and Hedgehog (Artwork by Julius Csotonyi)

BRANDON, MB – A researcher from Brandon University (BU) has played a pivotal role in discovering two new prehistoric mammals which roamed North America 52 million years ago. Dr. David Greenwood’s important finds have just been published as cover story in the July edition of the US-based Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Brandon University students wrap fossil discoveries at Driftwood Canyon, BC

Dr. Greenwood made the discoveries while leading fossil digs in Driftwood Canyon Provincial Park, near Smithers, BC, in 2010 and 2011. A plant and ancient climate specialist, Dr. Greenwood called in fossil mammal experts Drs. Jaelyn Eberle from the University of Colorado, and Natalia Rybczynski from the Canadian Museum of Nature, to identify the ancient jawbones.

“What we have discovered are an ancient tapir relative, about the size of a large dog, and a hedgehog relative, smaller than a mouse” says Dr. Greenwood. “This is remarkable because very few fossil mammals of this geological age have been described before in Canada.”

Tapir fossil jaw

The fossil discoveries are also significant because the early Eocene epoch when these mammals lived marked the height of prehistoric global warming, a period involving significant reorganization of the world’s plant and animal life. “We can gain insight into how the Earth was coping with a problem then that’s re-emerging now,” says Dr. Greenwood, who used fossils to reconstruct the forest setting and climate where the ancient animals lived.

Dr. Gervan Fearon, BU’s Vice-President (Academic and Provost), says, “This project speaks to collaboration. David called in professional colleagues from two countries to share in the discoveries. At Brandon University, we value collaboration in everything we do.”